Officials raid possible drug lab at Fort Bend County home

DEA agents and Fort Bend County sheriff's deputies raided a house believed to have a hidden drug lab inside.

Investigators executed a search warrant Wednesday afternoon at the home, located on Carta Valley Drive in Canyongate on the Brazos near Richmond.

"It's very troubling and I'm just glad it was found," said Elyssa Stern who lives near the house that was raided.

Officers and agents spent a lot of time going through a backyard shed. They had to strap on oxygen tanks and wear HazMat suits to get closer.

"We don't know what kind of chemicals that may be or what they may be exposed to, so we go to the extra level of security for the agents," said DEA Special Agent Wendell Campbell.

Some neighbors told Eyewitness News they had noticed suspicious activity at the rental house. Others were completely surprised.

The homes in the gated community range from $200,000 to $300,000 and are mostly occupied by single families.

"A real nice, decent neighborhood," said Shahtaj Sadarudein of where he lives. "Kids are always around. Never any noises or anything going on so for something like a drug lab, is really out of the blue and surprising."

Officials said the immediate area around the home was secured and did not pose a threat to the community. Cleanup was expected to take hours.

Lab tests will determine what kind of chemicals were found, according to Campbell.